Paris to Bruges Bike and Barge

Embarkation and check-in is at 2pm in the centre of Paris. After a welcome by the captain, crew and tour guide the barge will cruise right through the city. The mooring place for the night is a suburb of Paris. After the sailing dinner there is time for a short walk. If you arrive early you can leave your luggage on board from 11.00 am. We recommend coming to Paris one or more days earlier, to have time to discover the city.

After breakfast we will cycle along quiet towpaths along the river Seine and up to St Germain, where the gardens of Le Nôtre provide a magnificent view across Paris. Next we will ride through a forest area to Conflans for a picnic on the pier amongst the terraces. After a short stop at the Pontoise Bridge, we continue cycling across the picturesque Chemin des Monts to the church of Auvers, famous for Van Gogh’s paintings. You can visit Van Gogh’s grave in the local cemetery during a short evening walk.

During breakfast we will cruise to Beaumont. From here today's cycle begins, following the Oise River upstream, passing the Royaumont abbey, which is one of the best preserved abbeys from the 13th century. During the afternoon we will visit the splendid Chateau of Chantilly, with its horse dressage and impressive art gallery Musee Conde, which has one of the finest collections of paintings in France. We continue cycling via Senlis and through the forests of Halatte to today's destination, Pont-Ste-Maxence.

Pont Sainte-Maxence owes its name to the fact that in the Middle Ages it had one of very few bridges over the Oise River, becoming the place to stay overnight for kings and merchants on their way to Flanders. From here we cycle past the abbey of Moncel, founded in 1309 by King Philip le Bel, and through small charming towns. We continue through the "Foret de Compiegne" (forest), where French kings once hunted, to our destination, Compiegne. In the middle of the forest lies the little town of Pierrefonds, where you can admire the exterior of the impressive castle. Compiègne owes its architectural wealth to its proximity to Paris. The gardens of the Chateau de Compiègne are definitely worth a visit. Dinner is not included tonight, you can choose to eat at one of the local restaurants.

Today we will leave the river Oise to continue our cycle via the canal system connecting France and Belgium. In the morning we cycle into the most northern part of the forest of Compiegne, where we visit the “Clairière de l’Armistice" (Glade of the Armistice), where German and French generals signed the treaty to end the First World War. You can visit the small but interesting museum. We then cross the river Aisne and cycle through the forest of Ourscamp. In the afternoon we will spend some time in Noyon, where you can visit its imposing cathedral, one of the oldest in the country. We will then cycle back to the canal at Pont l'Eveque to board the barge.

The day begins with a cruise along the Canal du Nord. The construction of this canal was planned in 1903, but it took until 1966 to complete the works. It was built to replace the older and smaller Canal de St Quentin, constructed by Napoleon in 1801 to transport coal from the mines to the north. During breakfast the barge will bring us to Haudival. From here the cycling begins through gently rolling, open countryside, to the art deco town of Ham, continuing along the river Somme and through the picturesque surrounding villages to Peronne. We will find the barge moored just outside this charming town, with its compact square and church as well as a castle and the fascinating Grande Guerre museum.

The barge will stay moored near Peronne. You are free to spend the day resting, visiting the museum or exploring the area.